Columns

America is at a candidate in DeSoto Parish. So I registered as a Democrat and am still registered as a Democrat. However, we have open primaries today that allow you to cross party lines when you vote.

Now to the “Crossroad” that America is in today. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a highly respected New York Democrat forty years ago, would not recognize the Party today. He was a policy advisor for Democratic President John F. Kennedy and later a policy advisor for Republican President Richard M. Nixon. He went on to be a four term Democratic Senator from New York. This is one of his sayings that is as relevant today and is planted in my mind, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not to his own facts.”

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What?! Oh, you know, trying to get over writer’s block by starting with an interesting title … maybe tricking you into starting to read my column this week!? Maybe a “Leftover Chuckle”? Humorist Calvin Trilling said, “The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.”

Sunday, December 7, 1941 began as a normal serene morning on the Island of Oahu, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Most of America’s warships were anchored in the harbor and the thousands of sailors were eating breakfast, sleeping, or were preparing for church. It was a very quiet morning on the island.

At 7:55 a.m. a buzz from the sky broke the calm as divebombers bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan dropped out of the clouds and seconds later bombs began to fall with accuracy on the American battleships. Americans scrambled to battle stations to look into the sky only to see swarms of Japanese fighter planes with blazing machine guns firing at very low heights. On several occasions former La. State Senator Jackson B. Davis told this writer that the planes were so low you could see the pilots smiling as they fired at the U.S. Sailors.

Referring to the coastal regions of South Carolina and standing for a distinct culture and people kinda like our own Cajun culture in south Louisiana. So Low Country cooking would be more like our northwestern country cooking up here in DeSoto Parish but with fresh seafood like in Plaquemines Parish.

So when I saw Julia Rutland’s recipe in the “My Recipes” section for ‘Low Country Cheesy Shrimp and Grits’ I just had to try it. Susan and I just love us some Shrimp and Grits and looked forward to trying this version:

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DeSoto Parish in the mid 1800’s was a port parish both from the west boundary by the Sabine River to the east by Bayou Pierre. Both were important to the parish and Mansfield benefited from each – probably more from Bayou Pierre. The steamboats as they approached the landing began blowing their whistles a couple of miles before their landing. The boat’s lonesome whistles blew out through the hills and hollows announcing their arrival.

People in the surrounding areas would come to the port to see the boats and the people arriving and the merchandize being unloaded. The merchants would be there waiting for all types of goods: furniture, coffins, saddles; small items such as copper pots, iron skillets; cooking supplies like sugar, flour, and spices. The boats brought letters from loved ones back on the east coast also newspapers from New York and London. The date on these wasn‘t that important because all news was new news to the frontier.

Would McDonald’s rip off the SNL Greek Diner’s signature sandwich? Yes, AND I think that food junkie and late SNL cast member, John Belushi, would be secretly smiling. Also, Butch Golsan texted to remind me that the Diner had, “No fries … Cheeps”.

First a report on the Cheeseburger Casserole that I cooked last week. It was good, I think the kiddos will like it and I was glad that I halved the onions because saving some for garnish after along with coarse chopped tomatoes and lettuce was good. If you have onion haters to cook for then the thin sliced onions cooked down so that they were almost invisible when everything was done. Toasting the chopped up bacon dripping infused buns on top of the casserole was genius and gave the whole thing an extra crunch. So, I will give it a thumbs up – but try it and let me know what you think at reechjr@yahoo.com (with the title ‘CheeBuggar’) or call 318-540-7500.

How do we measure ‘enough’? Is it when our savings account is stuffed to overflowing? Is it when we need to buy a bigger house, just to have more closet space for shoes and clothes? Is it when our paychecks double and the cost of living is cut in half ?

Everyone has their own idea of what is enough. But if you look around, your ‘enough’ is much different than the person next to you. A homeless person considers a meal in their stomach enough. It is sheer luxury to them to have a real roof over their heads, instead of a tree limb or a cardboard box.

A young couple with a new child feels it is enough if they can just pay the electric bill this month. Last month they weren’t so fortunate. If there ever is any extra, the thought of buying something for themselves is unheard of. Instead, all extras go towards the care of their child.

My 14-yearold son, Bryce, is the 8th grade quarterback for Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport. Their 2019 season recently ended and it was a blast. When the season ended, they were undefeated. But then there was an unexpected twist of events.

About three weeks after our season ended, the coach from Ridgewood Middle School in Shreveport offered to play Calvary’s Middle School team. Our coaches agreed. I personally had a knot in my stomach when I heard the news.

Calvary Middle School had never played Ridgewood before, and our guys had heard that Ridgewood was a bigger school with bigger boys from a bigger selection of players. But our boys were facing the challenge confidently, and I was proud of them.

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From time to time this article is devoted to men or women that have made unusual contributions to Mansfield and DeSoto Parish. The man in today’s article has made contributions that have made ripple effects around the world, Dr. Scott L. Tatum, born in 1919 and died Sept. 21, 2018.

After graduating from Mansfield High, he graduated Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Being a pastor was God’s calling for this “Truly Man of God”. Following early pastorates in Texas he was called to Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, La. from 1951 through 1974. Broadmoor was one of the largest and most active churches in the Cooperative Programs in Louisiana. He continued in serving God as a teacher at the Southwestern Baptist Seminary for fourteen years becoming the head of the Teaching Department.